This is the second article in a series on project scheduling best practices. The first article, GAO Scheduling Best Practices, can be found here. With the growing adoption of Agile project management methodologies, many organizations now employ some combination of traditional project management and Agile project management tools. While Agile … [Read more...]
The Diversity of Scrum Today
Scrum is a framework for developing and sustaining complex products. While traditionally used for software development, many other industries and professionals are now recognizing the value of Scrum. A recent survey, The 2015 State of Scrum Report, suggests that Scrum is growing in popularity among various industries and is being used in a … [Read more...]
Modernizing Federal IT Acquisitions
A visit to the Federal IT Dashboard is a reminder of the critical need to bring innovation and agility to federal acquisitions. Although significant changes and improvements such as strategic sourcing, IT-based GWACs, and large agency-specific IDIQ contracts have been made to the federal acquisition of IT products and services over the last ten … [Read more...]
Agile Methodologies and the Federal Acquisition Regulation – Part 3
This is the third and final article in a 3-article series on integrating Agile methodologies within the context of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. This article addresses resources, accountability and tracking issues related to contract administration. This article series is based upon the recently developed TechFAR Handbook for Procuring … [Read more...]
Agile Methodologies and the Federal Acquisition Regulation
This is the first article in a 3-article series on integrating Agile methodologies within the context of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. This article focuses on the Requirements Development and Acquisition Planning phase of the acquisition lifecycle. Far too often Federal Government digital service projects fall short of their goals for a … [Read more...]
The Future of Government Digital Services
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently launched its 18F Team; a digital services delivery team dedicated to the implementation of innovative digital and web services within the Federal Government. Named for the GSA location at 18th and F Streets, the team is composed of 16 industry professionals working to facilitate productive … [Read more...]
Execution of Agile Iterations: Best Practices
This is the 4th article in a continuing series on best practices for Agile implementation in the Federal Government. In order to reduce the costs of IT development projects in federal agencies, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has recommended implementation of modular (or Agile) software delivery. Agile software development describes … [Read more...]
Cost Savings through Agile Implementation: 8 Best Practices
This is the 3rd article in a series on best practices for Agile implementation in the Federal Government. The Federal IT Dashboard has helped to track Federal IT expenditures and reporting. The IT Dashboard Treemap shows current annual IT expenditures by agency. With $79.5 Billion in IT spending for FY13, there is good reason to look at … [Read more...]
Four Best Practices for Agile Commitment and Collaboration
This is the 2nd article in a series on best practices for Agile implementation in the Federal Government. Although progress has been made in identifying Federal IT investments with opportunities for cost savings, there is still much work to be done. The Federal Information Technology 2014 Budget Priorities report indicates that total IT Federal … [Read more...]
Six Best Practices for Agile Strategic Planning
A study released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) discusses best practices for implementing Agile software development methodologies within the Federal Government. This study was based on "the identification of numerous examples of lengthy IT projects that incurred cost overruns and schedule delays while contributing little to … [Read more...]